January 9, 2014

Cherry Blossom Episode 3: Kyoto (Kinkakuji)

The next morning after breakfast, we checked out from Toyoko Inn and heading to Umeda Station for train to Kyoto. As I checked the platform location the night before, we didn't face any difficulty of locating it on the next day. It was a day trip for Kyoto because I wanted to save some accommodation cost and thought we could catch some sleep on the bus to Kawaguchiko. We wouldn't able to cover all areas in one day so we selected a few from the list.

It took about 45 mins to reach Kyoto Kawaramachi Station using Hankyu Railway. From Kyoto Kawaramachi Station, we had to take bus to Kyoto Station to store our luggage. In Kyoto, we used bus majority because most attractive sightseeing areas are not located proximate to subway station.

Reached Kyoto Kawaramachi Station. This is our Hankyu train.

I took this photo to remember the location of our baggage locker's location.

Stepped out from Kyoto Station, Kyoto Tower was just in front of us. I must say we experienced very good weather when we were in Kyoto.

I bought two Kyoto City Bus One-day Passes at Kyoto Station. A bus routes map was provided too.

A careful peek. The bus driver is handsome.

The interior of Kyoto bus

Our first destination: Kinkakuji. It took 5 mins walk to reach Kinkakuji from the bus stop.

Kinkakuji looks grand in size from picture but it is actually smaller than my expectation.